Is One Direction Breaking Up? Boy Band Will Supposedly Call It Quits

British boy band One Direction was ripped apart when Zayn Malik left the group in March, and now the singers are splitting for good, an insider told In Touch via Naughty Gossip. To the dismay of the Directioners -- their devoted fan base -- Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan will go their separate ways, if the report is to be believed.

Simon Cowell, the mastermind behind the award-winning group, supposedly wants to keep them together. "He’s meeting with the boys before they resume their U.K. tour. He’ll advise them to at least see out the year together, but it’s unlikely. A split statement is coming,” the insider said. But it may not work because “there is a lot of jealousy and tension” among them.

The problem all started with Malik, 22, quitting 1D to pursue a solo career. “Their bond has been torn to shreds,” the insider said. In his departure statement, Malik said he just wanted time off, but instead headed to the studio the next day to record music. “It was unsettling. They feared being left behind while Zayn got a head start on his solo career.”

As a result, each of the boys started to work on side projects. While Styles, 21, “is champing at the bit to go work on movies,” the other boys are making music alone.

No one in the group has responded to the rumor, and it seems unlikely that it's true. Instead, Horan promoted their new tour and their new album "Four," which got its name since it's their fourth album.

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